Not only were they shocked, but Chen Kuang himself found it strange.

Before this, he had never seen the sword cultivator ranked second in Canglang’s list.

The only time he heard his name was in Xuni Pavilion, when he heard the Shen Family invited the Canglang reviewer to act as a witness for a battle between Shen Meinan and Jiang Yunqing, achieving a double prodigy title, and the name "Shen Meinan" became momentarily renowned.

——Although now it seems, whether this Shen Meinan is truly Shen Meinan remains a question.

At this moment, Chen Kuang hadn’t revealed his identity, Jiang Yunqing ought to be seeing him for the first time too, and in the latter’s eyes, the name Chen Ruogu should merely represent an obscure stranger.

Yet Jiang Yunqing’s attitude appeared as if he was treating someone he had known deeply as a life-and-death friend.

For a sword cultivator, giving out their sword is almost akin to handing over their life.

Though given the disparity in their cultivation, normally, even if Chen Kuang gets Jiang Yunqing’s sword, he wouldn’t be able to kill him.

But the implication behind such an act is highly unconventional.

Around them, silence reigned, the Celestial Sound Pavilion’s Tang Qiusheng couldn’t help but ask:

"Could it be that Fellow Daoist Jiang and Fellow Daoist Chen are old acquaintances?"

The gazes of others also conveyed similar thoughts.

If they weren’t old acquaintances, then the situation before them seemed rather bizarre; it’s unlikely Jiang Yunqing suddenly lost his mind, right?

Chen Kuang firmly shook his head: "I don’t know Fellow Daoist Jiang, today is the first time meeting him."

The main purpose of his trip was to keep a low profile to preserve his life, trying to find a way to survive the Martial Saint’s grasp seven days later.

If he attracted others’ attention now, it would be contrary to his original plan, so rectifying it now was not too late.

Moreover, he truly didn’t know Jiang Yunqing; merely based on receiving the sword wouldn’t suddenly forge connections, lest it might instead...

Chen Kuang’s brief thoughts were soon interrupted.

Because not far away, Jiang Yunqing hesitated for a moment, then actually nodded.

The crowd: "..."

Chen Kuang: "...???"

Yan Hui crossed his arms, raised an eyebrow, and sneered:

"This is really interesting, one person knows, the other doesn’t; normally, I only see despicable people trying to curry favor, resulting in fawning on deaf ears and forced flattering."

He remarked with amusement: "Today I’ve broadened my horizons, there’s someone going in reverse..."

Yan Hui’s words were clearly indicating that Chen Kuang was disregarding Jiang Yunqing, making him fawn to no avail.

With Chen Kuang’s apparent cultivation and identity, it was indeed oblivious.

Simultaneously, Yan Hui’s words were also meant to prick Jiang Yunqing and sow discord.

Though this intention was undisguised, it truly hit the sore spot.

If Jiang Yunqing thought a bit more, he would immediately feel uncomfortable, leaving a thorn in his heart.

Chen Kuang thought, this trip to Pinggu Battlefield was indeed as he expected, certainly not just about realizing enlightenment on the battlefield, there were bound to be other interests involved.

Having not yet entered, the scheming had already begun.

But the problem is... does Jiang Yunqing, this sword cultivator, really have such complex thoughts?

Chen Kuang looked up at Jiang Yunqing, who wasn’t disturbed at all by Yan Hui’s words, still holding his sword with a calm gaze showing a hint of... sincerity?

He was serious.

Chen Kuang was greatly shocked, beginning to doubt himself.

Could it be that I really know him? When did I know him?

However, thinking over it repeatedly, even tracing back the past nineteen years of his previous existence, he couldn’t find the face of the heaven’s son standing before him.

The only connection between them might be... Sword Lodge?

Chen Kuang was momentarily stunned, suddenly catching onto a thread of clues.

Although he hadn’t interacted much with those from Sword Lodge—actually only the master and disciple Tie Baiyuan and Jie Kun.

Yet he indeed had deep ties.

Before disappearing, Tie Baiyuan was the second-in-command of Sword Lodge at that time, and the most promising candidate to become the next master of Sword Lodge, highly esteemed within the lodge. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

If not for the Demon Sword incident, the current master of Sword Lodge should be Tie Baiyuan.

And Jie Kun, who died alongside the Demon Sword, bearing the lives of a hundred thousand, was the most talented and highly regarded disciple in the history of Sword Lodge.

If all moral factors were excluded, only judging by the power of the Demon Sword.

Chen Kuang believes Jie Kun had forged a true fourth famed sword, even arguably... his "Path" was indeed successfully traversed.

Just from "Uninterrupted," it already could be deemed as divinely ingenious.

Even Saints probably couldn’t reach that level.

This person was undoubtedly a madman, but also a genuine genius.

Tie Baiyuan and Jie Kun were vital figures within Sword Lodge.

Chen Kuang wasn’t very acquainted with Tie Baiyuan, however, his brother Chen An and Tie Baiyuan’s "daughter" Xiaohong were likely to become family, thus good enough to be considered in-laws.

As for Jie Kun, he was genuinely Chen Kuang’s foe.

Yet the Demon Sword he forged is currently trapped in Chen Kuang’s Divine Sense of the Divided God, already bound to Chen Kuang.

Counting it all, amidst so many sects in Cangyuan, Chen Kuang indeed has the closest connection with Sword Lodge.

Despite the fact he’s never been there...

However, how did Jiang Yunqing know about this layer of connection? And why did he feign acquaintance with Chen Kuang?

Chen Kuang had no real idea for the moment, currently not the time for inquiry, he thought for a while and then cupped his hands, awkwardly smiling, and said:

"Thank you, Fellow Daoist Jiang, for your favor, I am quite insignificant, how could I know the second-ranked ’Wisdom Sword’ from Canglang. Maybe... there was some connection between the elders before?"